


Jaune's Wake Up Call

by WowWaldo



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Coping, Fighting, Friendship, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:34:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27557710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WowWaldo/pseuds/WowWaldo
Summary: Jaune realizes even though Pyrrha’s dead, he has to keep moving forward with his training. Now his goal is to finish his training with his team.
Kudos: 3





	Jaune's Wake Up Call

“I could have done **so much more…** ” the yellow griever growled with frustration. “I could have stopped her, saved her, loved her the way she deserved to be…Why am I such an idiot?” 

His hand tangled in his messy locks, purposely self-isolated in a shabby, jaded hotel room. It’d been no less than a few days after Beacon had fallen from the Grimm Invasion. He’s not entirely sure how he ended up here but he found himself running around in a city that was still safe. He used whatever Lien he had to rent a room for himself. 

He needed to be alone, wondering how he could’ve saved her. 

He curled against a wall, letting his thought consume him while the dripping of the faucet kept track of time. His mind and body were drained and beaten and the battle that transpired a few days earlier ran in his mind.

He was alive, she wasn’t. 

The room he ended up was of questionable quality. The floorboard creaked when he stepped on it, the lights flickered whenever it was on, so he left it off, and even tap water didn’t look clean at all. The bugs crawling everywhere gave a visitor about why one shouldn’t stay in a place like this. This place shouldn’t be allowed to operate but here it is, still functioning. 

He had no idea how long he was in the room, maybe for a day or two given how empty his stomach was. He ignored the gurgles it released, wanting nourishment. 

Suddenly, the door handle he locked suddenly broke off. The door swung open with his two surviving teammates Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie revealing themselves. He noticed how bandaged, bruised, beaten they were. Thankfully they survived. 

They survived. They’re what’s left of Team JNPR.

“How did you two fi—”

“You always kept your scroll’s location on.” Nora forced a smile. “We had to convince the nurses and the others to let us find you.” 

He noticed how Ren leaned on Nora for support as she relied on him vice-versa. The two sat on the bed, trying to not damage anything that hasn’t been fractured or bruised already. 

“We never expected you to be in such a… questionable hotel.” Nora said. 

“Oh… well, you found me, good job,” he responded dryly. “look, I need some time to be alone.” 

“Everyone’s worried about you. Everyone’s separated; Ruby and Yang went back to Patch, Weiss is back in Mistral, Blake ran off, and the others are still recovering at the emergency centers."

“Then why are you two here? I’m sure there’s a village somewhere that needs you two.”

“Well…” 

“We’re here to save you,” Ren said. “You haven’t recovered from the fights either. Let’s go. There’s a hospital nearby where we can properly apply first-aid to you. We can meet up with the others and then figure out a plan.” 

He offered a hand. Jaune was surprised that Ren talked, he figured Nora would do all the talking. Still, he didn’t accept the offer. 

“I don’t need saving. I’m fine here. Once I figure some things out I’ll go get patched.” 

He couldn’t bother to look at the two. Not like this, not in this state. 

“You’re lying, we can tell your plan is to just stay here and feel sorry for yourself.” Nora said, clearly uneasy. “The leader of JNPR would never do that.”

“I’m telling the truth,” Jaune’s irritation was visible. “now go away.”

“What could you have done, Jaune? You did all you could.” Ren said, his voice eerily cold and harsh, yet caring, “All you can do is keep moving forward. Do it for Pyrrha. You haven’t lost everything.” 

The words rang throughout Jaune’s mind. 

Did Ren not understand what happened? 

Pyrrha Nikos is dead. 

“WHAT DO YOU DO KNOW ABOUT LOSING SOMEONE?”

The leader rose from his position, his eyes narrowed at someone he once called a teammate— a friend. Seeing him with Nora made him angry. He had no idea Lie Ren could be so hypocritical. He was angry. It was rage that fueled him to move. 

“YOU HAVE NORA, SOMEONE WHO GIVES A DAMN ABOUT YOU! BUT WHAT ABOUT ME? THE ONE WHO SAW ME FOR ME IS DEAD! WHAT DO I HAVE LEFT? NOTHING! THERE’S NOTHING LEFT FOR ME HERE!” he roared as he pushed Ren back, “YOU DIDN’T KNOW HER AS I DID. NO ONE DID!”

“H-how could we? She always spent time with you.” Nora peeped. “Jaune please, there are people who care about you.” she motioned Jaune to settle down, “There’s your family, Team RWBY, the teachers at Beacon, us. Please, Jaune. We don’t want you doing this to yourself” She motioned to the dirty room around them. 

“Shut up. You’re annoying me with that voice of yours. All you did at Beacon was follow Ren like a lovesick puppy.” Jaune said, he glared at the usually bubbly ginger. “What do you know about real love?” 

“!” Nora gasped. 

Jaune could see the hurt and betrayal in her face as he said that. He couldn’t care right. 

“Pyrrha wouldn’t want to see you like—” 

“—DON’T YOU EVER SAY HER NAME AGAI—” Jaune shouted. 

One moment he saw Ren step closer and the second moment Jaune found himself on the floor. The sound of Jaune hitting the floorboard echoed throughout the room. 

Blood trickled down his nose and Jaune gave his teammate a bewildered look. A few seconds passed as his hand curled into a fist with so much anger, the cracks of his hand could be heard and his face slowly became a snarl from betrayal. 

Ren gave him a pitied look and said “The Jaune Arc I know wouldn’t do this.”

“Then you don’t know Jaune Arc at all…” Jaune stood back up and made his way to the door, stumbling to keep his balance. “I’m getting out of here, if I want help I’ll get it myself.” 

He exited the hotel. Near the exit of the hotel, he could hear Nora screaming at Ren from the front of the hotel. He turned off the location setting on his scroll and shoved it in the sides of his jeans. The griever couldn’t care right now, he had other things to deal with. 

The next few days were stressful in their own right; the street food he had didn’t have much flavor, the breeze didn’t cause him to shiver even the slightest, and even the alleyways with thugs didn’t get him to shake in his boots; his senses were getting dull. 

He knew before the fall of Beacon, he’d savor every bite and morsel of food, the breeze would make him shiver if he didn’t have his hoodie on, and thugs would make him react in some way at the very least.

_I must be getting tired._

He kept wandering around the city and saw the people protesting about rights and fundings, cars driving by and some breaking down, the birds chirping and fish swimming in a small lake by a park. The soreness from his legs didn’t stop him and he had no reason to complain; no one would hear him and no one would care. 

He found a bench near a playground and sat down, letting himself rest after days of wandering and walking around the city. He stared at the people who passed by him, not even glancing at him. 

Some chattered about Beacon falling, but the topic was glossed over and replaced with the latest fads or newest songs released. 

_Lots of people know about Beacon falling to the Grimm, but no one’s even talking about Pyrrha dying… she deserved better… damn it. Just, damn it!_

He rested his eyes for a moment and heard a screech. 

_Wh-was that a Nevermore!?_

He jumped out of the bench and drew his sword. 

_Where is it?!_

His baggy eyes scanned the area, noting the lack of screams and empty surroundings. Even so, he thought—

_I can do something this time!_

Honing in the noise he noticed the swingset swaying with the winds. The chains rattled together and had a somewhat similar sound as a Nevermore’s battle cry before landing on the ground and spreading its wings to intimidate its prey. 

He paused, both disappointed and relieved. The tension in his shoulders slightly loosened. 

_It’s not a Nevermore?_

He wanted to put his sword away and go back to the bench to relax a bit longer but his arms still shook and the adrenaline stayed. He looked around and noticed no one else was around him. 

_A few swings wouldn’t hurt._

So he swung back and forth, up and down, side to side, and even worked on his guarding and stance. 

His mind echoed the lessons she gave him.

...

_“Another one!” A redhead commanded._

_“HAH!” Jaune’s family heirloom sliced air._

_His stance tense, and his eyes not focusing on anything but empty space. After the swing ended and he followed the motions as instructed, he struggled to stay in place._

_“Pyrrha how long do we have to do this? My arms are tired and the Cafeteria food is probably cold by now.”_

_“Jaune, this will help with your muscle memory and stamina. Keep working hard and you’ll be able to beat multiple Ursalas instead of just one.”_

_“Are you sure? This is me we’re talking about, right?”_

_“Eventually you’ll reach that level,” Pyrrha said calmly._

_“I know…” Jaune grumbled. “Just how long will it take before I can take down as many as you can?”_

_“I didn’t become a champion by whining and only wishing to succeed. I—”_

_“I know, I know. You worked on the basics over and over until it was second nature—”_

_“—Then doubled my training regime while putting in days to relax,” Pyrrha added, taking a moment to enjoy the cool breeze that came to._

_From the corner of his eyes, a content Pyrrha watched over him. The break didn’t last as she gave the same instructions and he followed through. She was tough but fair._

...

With sharpened senses, his ears picked up a disturbance.

“You got this Ren!” A high pitched voice shouted. 

_W-was that Nora’s voice just now?_

He filtered out distractions. More inaudible yelling trailed and the clarity of the words failed to reach his ears. 

With the yelling and hollering having his attention, he slowly and groggily made his way towards the noise. Something noteworthy was the lack of people around him, it was as if they avoided the area he was headed towards. 

A mother scooted her child away from the noise, pursed lips, sweaty hands, and nervous expression on her face. 

The street vendor hurried along elsewhere, quickly finishing his sale with a child who also scurried away from the noise.

The scene he had yet to see was clearly bad news, but he willed himself to investigate even as his body begged to stop and rest instead.

Leaving the park, and jogging towards an empty street— there he saw it. He rubbed his eyes, unsure if he was seeing reality.

A crowd of thugs formed a circle around Ren and Nora. The two appeared to be protecting a woman in black, and three small children. 

_What’s going on?!_

“A nun, two punks, and three runts. Today’s quite the haul.” the ring leader said cheerfully. “I can’t wait to sell you six!”

_H-human traffickers!_

His stomach dropped at the gravity of the situation. He counted a total of ten thugs, including a well-dressed thug, presumably the leader. The leader’s outfit reminded him of a tackier version of what Roman Torchwick would wear. 

_Why are they here, in broad daylight!? Where are the police?!_

His legs shook, not from fatigue but from fear. Dull senses turned hyper-awareness. The uneasy breathing, quiet chattering of his teeth, and the quivering in his shoes kept him more than alert. 

Two thugs charged at Ren. The first one went for an uppercut at Ren while the other went for a tackle. 

Ren evaded the 1st tackle and countered the uppercut with a palm strike to the chin. The second the man staggered, Ren continued with a calculated fury of kicks all aimed at the chin. 

To much chagrin, the man only wobbled and his knees buckled. But he didn’t fall. 

Given Ren’s state, the attacks weren’t as effective nor strong as he’d hope. 

While Ren fought two, Nora was barely holding her own against another. Her hands locked in a power struggle with one of the bulkier men. Her wounds handicapped her usually monster-like strength, much to her dismay. 

A few of the other thugs eyed Nora, the nun, and the children like gargoyles. Their jaded eyes sent shivers to the children. One of the children embraced the nun, hoping to not face the intimidating thugs. 

"We won't be too rough. Just come back and tell us where the others are, and we won't hurt them." One teased. "Scout's honor." 

"Be a true saint and give up, this has been going on long enough, wouldn't you say?" Another said to the nun. 

"..." the nun frowned. One hand held a child while the other was inside her tunic. Her distress grew with the thugs having the advantage. 

Is she hurt? 

"W-where are the police?!" One of the kids cried out. “They’re supposed to beat up bad guys!” they turned to the Nun. “Why aren’t they doing that?!” 

"Bribed, sport." The ringleader answered joyfully. "They get a good cut of the profits, and they leave this side of the city in our loving care." 

As the fighting continued, the fear deepened, his teammates and innocent civilians were in danger. Past the fear, he slowly inched closer to the scene. 

_C'mon Jaune! You can take on Ursas, you can take on grown men! None of them are using any weapons, you can handle a beatdown, even in this sorry state!_

Jaune took one step. Then another. His pace hastened as he charged towards the concord of ruffians. One had finally noticed Jaune, shocked an outsider would dare to interfere. 

“What the—” 

_I survived Beacon, I can survive this!_

“AHHHH!” Jaune let out a battle cry as his fist slammed into the guy’s face. 

As Jaune fell to the ground, so did the man who arched into the air. He had a pained cry, colliding to a shop nearby, the back of his head struck against the brick walls. The man’s body became limp as he lost consciousness. 

_N-nine to go!_

In seconds he became the center of attention. Ren finished his opponent whose attention was diverted with a careful palm strike to the chest. The man started to cough profusely until he dropped to his knees and lost consciousness.

The other thug tried to evade Ren’s palm strike but he switched it to an elbow strike to the temple. A small wave of aura was sent to the man’s nerves and knocking him down too. 

Ren huffed and wiped the sweat off his face. His legs wobbled as his stance wavered. 

Nora went for the man’s family jewels. It proved effective and took the third assailant down.

_That leaves six…_

The ringleader’s and thugs’ expression shifted: cocky smiles were replaced with annoyed frowns. 

“Naughty punks need to be taught a lesson.” The ringleader said. “By this kid’s appearance, I’d say he was there when it fell. Not even fully recovered too.”

Jaune stood up and put his dukes up, a boxer's stance as his sisters taught him. 

“Shall we show them what happens to nosey kids with shots?” one of the henchmen asked, revealing his firearm inside his coat. 

“No need for that, they haven’t drawn their weapons so we’ll fight on their terms.” the ringleader reasoned. “Besides, using all that firepower for a couple of kids would make us seem insecure, no? Fisticuffs, men.” 

_For a ringleader, he sure sticks to his own moral code…_

“Once we wrap this up, make sure to patch up our boys.” He added. “Fellas’, if you'd do the honors of holding our dear intruder." 

He signaled, prompting two men to approach and charge at Jaune. Jaune threw some jabs at two charging men but to no avail, he was captured: one man holding him on each arm, even lifting Jaune like a ragdoll.

The ringleader cracked his knuckles and began to punch where Jaune’s armor didn’t protect him: midsection, face, and especially at the wounded areas. 

Jaune coughed and wheezed. All he could do was struggle and grit his teeth.

"I'd say you're used to being a punching bag." The man deduced and laughed. “I’d feel bad, but I’m a sadist.”

The punching continued. Blurs of pink and green tried to intervene however the thugs' defenses and their handicap were too great.

His vision hazed as the beating continued. Just as he thought he’d pass out, he heard gunshots. 

The shots were louder than the commotion they made prior. His ears rang from the noise, more shots fired. 

A high caliber bullet pierced through the thugs and broke their aura. 

The men released Jaune, who fell to the ground. They groaned and grunted in pain. 

?! Jaune tried to focus but his vision hadn’t recovered and nausea had kicked in. 

"Retreat, grab the others!" The ringleader commanded. "Don't shoot the products!" 

The rest of the thugs fled, followed by screeches and shouts. The shouts of children screaming rang in his ears.

Somehow still conscious, he found warmth in a black-haired comrade propping him up. 

"They're gone now," his comrade said. "I’m here. Don't pass out now." 

The pain stayed even with Ren’s soothing words. Jaune eyed the shooter, clearly confused. 

It was the nun, who revealed her high caliber pistol, rather worn out with the colors chipped off but intimidating with a logo of a snake coiled around a cross. 

“Can’t believe I had to blow my cover to save some kids.” The nun sighed. "Are you three alright?" 

The children nodded, even if they shook in their ragged and ripped shoes.

“W-what was that?” Nora asked. "Who are you?"

"Let's go somewhere safe." The nun prompted. “Who knows if more will come.”

… 

(An hour later) 

They were in a small circle, in a cleaner and safer part of the city now.

A child was being cuddled by Nora, another was playing with Ren's hair and the last tried to lift Nora’s weapon. The nun had finished applying first-aid to Jaune. 

In the center of the group was scented candles, lit and brightening the darkroom they resided in. From what the nun said, the candles had the ability to help speed aura recovery and wounds. 

Everyone listened to the nun’s story. 

"Just one more time, please?" Nora asked. 

“Yeah, tell us again!” the child being hugged by Nora joined. 

"Alright, one more time," the nun sighed, "I was from the military but kicked from not following too many orders. I became a huntress after a mid-life crisis. Wandering around this city, and especially after hearing Beacon fell, I noticed crime had risen drastically. Most traffickers wouldn’t be as brazen as those guys, but as you saw, it happens." 

“You skipped on all the best parts!” the second child whined. 

“She’s tired, let her be,” Ren said. 

“Why was that guy so… quirky? ” Jaune asked.

”He reminds me of Roman Torchwick.” Nora added. 

“Didn’t that guy get arrested because of Beacon’s First years?” the nun asked and ignored their reactions, “Aside from that, I’d assume the ringleader was a fanboy of Roman. He’s actually a role model for a lot of aspiring gang leaders, as crazy as that may sound.” 

“Roman, a role model?” Jaune said, clearly irritated. 

“Some people need inspiration and I guess Roman was the guy who inspires.” The nun said. 

"I don’t want to sound rude, but why are you in a nun outfit?" Ren asked, “From what I’ve seen, people imitating the theocracy can be put in jail.” 

"It’s an outfit I was given when I was hired to take a group down," The nun stood and stretched her weary body. “I didn’t really have time to change today. As you can tell, it’s been hectic.” Motioned to the dark and empty room that surrounded them.

“Why did that guy call the kids, ‘products’?” Jaune asked. 

“That’s what they are to human traffickers,” The nun said with disdain. “I found them by accident, and now I’m acting as an escort for them. The government’s paying me well to get these kids to a certain safe place.”

The nun motioned to the kids, “The government’s interested in their semblances, so the paycheck should keep me going for at least a year if I play my cards right.”

“So your—”

“Paid to get these kids to a safe place.” The nun summarized. “I think it’s time to part ways, the faster I get these kids to the designated place, the faster I can get paid.”

"What about your name?" Nora asked. "Can you at least tell us that?" 

"Confidential," the nun checked her ammunition, "I've got to get these kids to the spot. You three are all patched up. I suggest leaving this city, those guys have a bit of influence here." 

"C'mon kids, let's go." The nun clapped her hands. 

The three kids followed suit. Nora pouted as the child left her custody. Ren noticed her pout.

"Would you like assistance with escorting?" Ren quickly asked. 

The nun gave him a confused look. 

“We wouldn’t want the pay, we’d be doing it for the kids,” Ren said. 

The nun let out a dry giggle.

"You'd all be liabilities, especially those injuries." The nun pointed to their injuries, signaling the walking the kids to follow, "It’s been eventful but, farewell." 

The four were by the entrance of the room. The nun paused. 

"Two things: you guys can keep the candles, it may come in handy, and…about what happened with Beacon, my condolences. You kids tried your best." 

The nun made her departure with children following. 

The three kids waved goodbye. The room felt even emptier now. The silence was broken by Nora and Ren’s grumbling stomach.

“We’re all out of rations and snacks the center gave us before leaving.” Ren checked his bag. 

“Let’s get something to eat then," Nora suggested. 

“I know a place,” Jaune said. “The park I was at had pretty good street food.” 

_I’m pretty sure it was good._ Jaune thought about his dulled taste buds. 

“I hope it’s cheaper than the restaurants around here.” Nora hoped. 

"The park?” Ren repeated, “As in the open?"

“Don’t worry, if they come, we’ll fire back. I saw their weapons, nothing like ours.” Nora wrapped her arm around Ren's neck. “We can give them the ol’ martial arts beat-down if they get too close.” 

Without much protesting, Ren smiled, “Lead the way, Jaune.” 

Jaune grinned seeing his teammates in high spirits even after what happened. 

The three made their way to the park. It was quite the distance and the odds of the thugs seeing them again would be unlikely. 

In an hour or so, they finally arrived at the park. Ren stopped walking, even if he was using Nora as support. The two stared at him, curious about what he had to say.

“About earlier,” Ren said, “that punch… I’m sorry, I—” 

Jaune took a step forward. 

“It’s fine Ren,” Jaune rubbed his neck with his hand nervously, “We were both… really stressed. It’s fine.”

“No, it isn’t. It doesn’t feel right if I just let this slide. I-I’m not sure how to fix this issue.” Ren admitted. 

“How about this, we’ll find a way to fix this issue after we get something in our stomachs?” Jaune suggested. 

Their stomachs rumbled. 

“Agreed.”

Bubbly ginger groaned. 

“Why do you have to act so macho sometimes?” Nora sighed. “Let’s find a bench to rest.”

Team JNR sat in the park, food in hand. The evanescence of the park soothed the storm in their hearts, even if only by a little. Beacon fell, but there were still like this that continued to thrive with humanity still present. 

"You apologized for punching me, it’s only fair that I apologize for what I said back there…at the motel.” Jaune said. “To both Nora, and you.” 

Ren saw Jaune offering a hand to which he accepted. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Ren said, “We were all stressed. We’re… cool now.”

“Yeah, we’re cool.”

“The question is what do we do now?” Nora asked. 

“This town could have more of those thugs lurking about.” Ren added, “We can’t exactly get help from the bribed authorities.”

“I wish we could set them straight,” Nora said, angrily bit into her hotdog. “They have the power to protect but they don’t!” 

“Their corruption isn’t something we can fix just by a pep talk,” Ren stated, “We should focus on our problems: such as how are we going to finish our training as huntsman and huntress. I’d think it’s what she would’ve wanted for us.” 

The group became silent. 

“We knew you meant a lot to her, you were the first to treat her like an equal… you ignored her status as a champion, made her laugh, helped her relax.” Nora stated. “You made her feel…like a normal person. But…"

Jaune gave Nora a confused stare. “But?”

“But…what was she to you?” Ren finally asked. 

Jaune looked at the clouds, one of them resembled the shield she used. He inhaled slowly, collecting his thoughts. 

He thought of the times they studied together for class, times they trained to improve himself, the times they talked, and shared laughs. 

He remembered the time he confessed to Pyrrha how he cheated his way into Beacon Academy, the dance they had while he wore a dress, and the chat they had during the Vytal Festival.

All these memories were bittersweet, none of those events could ever be relived, but only remembered against the passage of time where clear details would become foggy. 

After a pregnant pause, Jaune found the courage to put his thoughts into words for his teammates. 

“Pyrrha Nikos was the best partner I could ever ask for, she supported me when things got rough, taught me so many things; aura, fighting, tactics… she was—” 

Jaune held back tears, choking on holding himself back.

“ — a mentor, a best friend, and someone who I trusted. She didn’t see me as a weakling, but someone who had potential, at least I hope.”

“She didn’t see you as a weakling, she never did,” Nora stated. 

“She saw you trying your best,” Ren summarized. 

"Maybe I did love her, maybe not. Maybe we could’ve been more than friends, maybe it would’ve stayed like that if Beacon never fell or if she… had lived Beyond how I feel, and beyond speculations, I—no we, we lost an important member of Team JNPR. All we can do is move forward.”

“What’s the next step?” Ren asked. “We’ve got our bearings now, more or less.” 

“We’ll find the next step.” Jaune said optimistically, “We’re a team.” He hugged his companions by his side. “We’ll find it together.”

The hug didn’t last too long, but it felt needed and deserved. The warmth of their camaraderie fueled their spirits even with the future blurred and reality so murky. 

Eventually, the hug was broken up. 

“How about Haven?” Ren suggested. 

Nora smiled at that suggestion. 

“Haven?” Jaune repeated.

"It’s a bit far away but we can finish your training there!” Nora said. 

“I’d like to discuss that after this meal. We all need some energy.”

“Sure thing, I’m starving!” Nora agreed.

The three finished eating and disposed of the trash afterward. 

“Think the three of us will be able to make it to Haven though? It’s far away and there’ll be Grimm everywhere.” Jaune asked. 

“Maybe… we can ask someone from Ruby’s team to come along.” Nora added.

“Blake’s missing,” Ren recalled, “Weiss is back at Mistral with her dad, and Yang and Ruby are the only ones left from RWBY that could join us. Though, realistically I think Ruby might be our last shot at having another member.”

“I think we should count Yang out,” Nora thought for a moment, disturbed at remembering the sight. “Yang’s arm—” 

Jaune grimaced at the sight of the upbeat blonde so defeated and in such a state. 

“It’s fine if you don’t want them to join us,” Ren interrupted, not wanting to stay on that topic for too long. “Whoever joins us will be there to finish their training, not replacing the team we have now.” 

“Let’s see if Ruby can join us.” Jaune agreed, “I’m positive she’ll want to finish her training too. You have a point. We’ll give it a shot, even if Ruby can’t make it. We’re still going, no matter what.” Jaune finished.

The three paused, uneasy about the task they put on themselves: becoming official huntsmen and huntresses by traveling to a distant academy. 

“Let’s make a promise!” Nora suddenly suggested. 

The other two stared at her, then to each other and back to Nora. “A promise?” 

“We’ll all become official hunters and huntresses, together!” She said, pausing for a moment, “For Pyrrha! Ren and I weren’t as close to her as you were but…”

“We still care and value her as an integral part of Team JNPR.” Ren finished her statement. 

Nora and Ren stuck their pinkies out. Jaune stared at the two. He took out his pinky and they pinky promised their vows. 

_I’ve never felt so lucky to have these two until now. Pyrrha, Nora, Ren… they’re the best team I could ever ask for._

“Ren. Nora. Thank you.”Jaune choked on his own words, ” That means a lot. It does. I couldn’t ask any more from you two.” 

The three looked along the horizon, a vast sky and land full of danger and excitement. Their goal: make it to Haven Academy and complete their training and hunters and huntresses in training. Jaune brought out his scroll; adding Ruby Rose a group chat called: _Operation Finish Training._

“We’re going to be REALLY busy, once we finish packing, it’s onto Haven,” Jaune said to which his teammates agreed.

He looked up from his scroll and stared at the clouds that hailed so high in the sky. He saw one cloud that resembled a familiar red-haired teammate, smiling from above. 

_Pyrrha, I… no, Team JNR are going to move forward, that’s all we can do. Even though we couldn’t save you, we’ll do whatever it takes to save others._

He took a deep breath, feeling his body reinvigorated with energy.

_Wherever you are, I just hope you’ll keep watching over us and be proud of what we’ll do._

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: There’s something about the early volumes of RWBY that I enjoy, flaws and all. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to leave a review of your thoughts and such. 
> 
> This is what I’d probably consider a prequel to Moving Forward.
> 
> P.S: The original I was going to have Neptune in this story but it felt like he didn’t fit in this story. Sorry, Neptune :/.
> 
> Neptune: OH COME ON!


End file.
